Merrill Homeschool: 2015-16 Curriculum Choices

I mentioned in my last post that I have ordered our kindergarten curriculum and am currently in a kind of in-between phase. I don't want to start using it until we are "official" but it also calls to me from the shelf, just begging me to dive in. I have been asked on occasion what we will be using, and it is hard for m to give an answer because I have chosen to go with a pieced together collection instead of a boxed curriculum. One of the benefits of having done learning activities with Aiden for a few years already is that by now I am pretty comfortable with what our general style is. Not that I can put it into words... but at very least I can get a sense of whether different options would work for us. I have also been reading a lot about the Charlotte Mason approach to education, and so that was another thing that I kind of looked for as I compared the endless options out there.

Now, before I share what I have chosen, I will ask that you refrain from judging me for ordering first grade curriculum in many cases. I feel like I have to defend myself when I share that, because my goal is NOT to push Aiden to learn faster. When I looked into the choices for some of these programs, I looked at placement tests and considered overall value (we are a single-income family, so that is important) and in many cases I chose to order the year that would fit where we are and give us lots of room to work through things. I imagine some of these will take us longer than a year to work through, especially because a big part of kindergarten will still be play-based and interest-driven. I love that homeschool means being able to let kids work at their own pace, but they still label things by grade in many cases and more than once I have been criticized for moving too fast with Aiden. This is what works for our family, and I am excited to be the one who gets to teach my son and follow his lead in many areas. 

So anyway, here is what we will be using:

Math: Saxon Math 1 (home study kit)
Reading: Explode the Code Book 1 (teacher guide/workbook)
Writing: Handwriting Without Tears 1st Grade (teacher guide/workbook/journal) and Draw Write Now
Science: Apologia Exploring Creation with Astronomy (textbook/junior notebooking journal)
Social Studies: The Story of the World Book One (text and activity book)
Nature Studies: The Nature Connection (workbook)
Bible Studies: The Story Bible
Memory Work: Raising Lil Rockstars
Art: Preschool Art - It's the Process, Not the Product!
Interest-Driven Studies: Pinterest, YouTube, the library and our Learning Journal
Character: Laying Down the Rails for Children (not yet purchased)
Music: TBD

We will also continue to use Reading Eggs, Math Seeds, Cosmic Kids Yoga, and Adventures in Odyssey in addition to various educational apps.

Phew! That sounds like a lot when I list it out!! I am excited about all of it, and loving this homeschool journey we are on! Sometimes I still can't believe we are actually doing it, but I have learned many times over since becoming a parent that life rarely goes the direction you thought it would when dreaming during those months of waiting for a child. I am definitely learning to go with the flow... or at least more than I was able to before!